the times I've been dumb & was scammed - the skin glo
Welcome to “The times I've been dumb and was scammed” - a series detailing the moments I've been dumb and was scammed, which unfortunately has been many. I am perhaps opening myself up to even more scams by exposing my gullibility.
I should actually title this post "a time I actually wasn't dumb and was still scammed," but hey, the series title is what it is.
Now I've seen my fair share of shady and suspicious Instagram "programs" (aka buying followers) or brand partnerships come across my inbox. So when a brand called TheSkinGlo selling an electric facial cleansing device emailed me with the opportunity to collaborate with their new product - but I would have to purchase the product myself - I was initially skeptical. But they were offering a 50% discount to purchase the product ($40 out of my own pocket), in exchange for five photos they could use to build their online presence (which I was allowed to watermark until payment was received) and would be paid over $500 - well yes, I was sold.
To be completely transparent, I could certainly could have used some extra moolah in my pocket (who doesn't?).
Here is my usual routine when a brand deal opportunity presents itself:
Explore the brand's website and social media presence.
Examine the contract if they've sent one over, or negotiate if they haven't sent one.
Establish how easy it is to communicate with the brand.
Does it make sense for me to work for them?
So with the above routine in mind, here were my initial results:
Over 12,000 Instagram followers and a lovely, colorful website (which has since been deleted)? Looks legit so far.
I'm not seeing any negative reviews online or on social.
Terms and Conditions look doable and fair to me, and they're very quick to respond
I've done hair, skincare and other beauty promotions before, so it makes sense.
I've been doing this influencer gig (and PR gig) for some time now, and this is looking legit.
Let's do it. I let the person I was emailing that I had purchased the product, and would let them know when I received it.
I then began to notice the red flags (photos attached):
A few weeks after I had agreed to their partnership, I noticed their Instagram comments increased... and were all fake (‘OMG SO FUNNY’ is not exactly worthy of a comment of a post of a photo of a skincare product).
And the biggest one of all - they simply ghosted me. Not a response to multiple emails or Instagram DMs.
Another day, another scam. And I wasn't alone.
Influencer Lauren Clitheroe shared her experience on YouTube, and The Verge released an article today, sharing stories which were similar to mine. I'm not so upset about the money I lost, but the fact that my judgement was so off. Whoever TheSkinGlo is took advantage of this being a difficult time for many people financially, and I fell for it. But it did give me some solace that I wasn't alone and that fellow content creators also fell for this scam.
At least my skin looks good, right?
The product in question
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